Assemblyman, local mayors working to restore funding to state's court system

A group of local officials are spear-heading an effort to re-staff courts and provide more judiciary funds to what they call a starving system.

Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Hesperia) has co-authored a bill, introduced in March, that he says is a step toward properly funding California's judicial system.

AB 1313 would allocate up to 12 additional judicial positions throughout the state each year to the counties with the greatest disparity between their current allocation and Judicial Council's recommendation, Donnelly said.

The bill would be in effect when money is available, he added.

"The courts are literally being starved to death while our population is exploding, so the need is absolutely there," Donnelly said the record-high court deficit in San Bernardino County. "This is absolutely something we're supposed to be doing. "

Courthouses in Chino, Needles and Big Bear closed this year due to budget cuts.

Shuttered courthouses and depleting funds have created a backlog of cases and led to hundreds of staff layoffs, Donnelly said. Some residents in San Bernardino County will now have to travel two hours or more to reach the nearest court room.

"(AB1313) was born out of the dire crisis that we're facing here in San Bernardino County," Donnelly said.

Presiding Judge Marsha Slough said San Bernardino County is one of the most under-funded areas in the state. The court funding has gone from a $22 million deficit down to an approximate $11 million deficit by July 1, 2014.

Based on the last workload study done in 2012 San Bernardino County should have 156 judges. Instead it has 86 positions.

The county should also have 1,500 employees. It currently has 896 employees.

Donnelly is working with local mayors, specifically those in the High Desert, who have recently experienced those drastic court cuts.

Bill Holland, the mayor of Hesperia, said he got involved with hopes of averting some of the court closures.

"We've got a population tipping toward a half million people, just in the High Desert alone," he said. "I do think we can get money back. It has to do with priorities. "

The point of AB1313 is to bring awareness to the issue, officials said.

"At one point in time, all 24 mayors have been involved in this in one way or another," Holland said about local advocates. "Whether it was sending letters or making the trip to Sacramento."

They had some victories in their efforts, Holland said, referencing the Barstow courthouse.

Barstow was another courthouse set to close completely this year, but in March money from an emergency fund allowed for one courtroom to stay open temporarily. The other three courtrooms in the building have closed.

"I would like to see us re-open Needles and Big Bear and keep Barstow open full time because the case load warrants it," Holland said.

The court closures, he added, effect everyone.

Judge Slough said she is not involved in the AB1313 campaign, but she has spoken with Donnelly about his desires to put something together to aid trial court funding.

"We're always appreciative of any efforts anyone has to support the courts," she said.

"(The community is) united and they are demonstrating that they care about the courts. "